Pulling out all the Nashville stops, k.d. lang's 1988 album is a meticulously crafted work, her bid for mainstream country acceptance, and an homage to her idol Patsy Cline. Surrounded by the brilliance of Owen Bradley's s... more &raquotring-laced production and a host of legendary pickers (Buddy Emmons and Pete Wade) and singers (Kitty Wells, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn), lang's voice soars and moans like a dove. After the lush Chris Isaak-penned opener "Western Stars," lang follows with more-familiar country writers, from Roger Miller ("Lock, Stock and Teardrops") to Harlan Howard ("I'm Down to My Last Cigarette"). Both a commercial (the album went gold) and artistic success, Shadowland ranks as one of the best country records of the 1980s. --Roy Francis Kasten&laquo less

Synopsis

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Pulling out all the Nashville stops, k.d. lang's 1988 album is a meticulously crafted work, her bid for mainstream country acceptance, and an homage to her idol Patsy Cline. Surrounded by the brilliance of Owen Bradley's string-laced production and a host of legendary pickers (Buddy Emmons and Pete Wade) and singers (Kitty Wells, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn), lang's voice soars and moans like a dove. After the lush Chris Isaak-penned opener "Western Stars," lang follows with more-familiar country writers, from Roger Miller ("Lock, Stock and Teardrops") to Harlan Howard ("I'm Down to My Last Cigarette"). Both a commercial (the album went gold) and artistic success, Shadowland ranks as one of the best country records of the 1980s. --Roy Francis Kasten

Member CD Reviews

All her cds were great. This is my last one left. Sold the rest on ebay.

CD Reviews

LANG At the Top of Her Game. I'd Give "Shadowlands" 10 Star

Peter | East of Los Angeles | 01/27/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am not a Country music listener per se, but since stumbling upon "Shadowland", it has become one of my all-time favorite CD's to listen. A GORGEOUS piece of work from start to finish. Lang is blessed with one of the most beautiful, powerful, clear voices not just in Country music, but in ANY field -- period. She easily ranks among the BEST female vocalists to emerge in the last 50 years. She's right up there with Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, and Karen Carpenter.

While I agree with everyone about Lang's gifts and talents as a vocalist, not all of her CD's have always turned out to be winners, but "Shadowlands" is perfection. It is so well produced, written and sung, in my book it ranks as her BEST. Her voice has rarely sounded more powerful or emotional than it does here. Owen Bradley was in retirement before this CD was recorded, but his magic touch is still evident in not OVER-Producing this recording. He lends just enough arrangements to frame that gorgeous voice.

One of my two favorite songs is the title track. It always easily gets at least 10 repeat listens every time I load the CD into my player. Lang does not over-sing this beautifully-written song, providing just enough sentiment and vulnerability to bring out the song's sadness. "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" is another one. It's actually a torch song written for Broadway from the 1940's by the famous songwriter Frank Loesser. Lang's powerful version blows all other versions and covers out of the water, including Aretha and Sinatra. Again, that voice just blasts thru the stratosphere adding so much emotional anguish and depth to this torch song. All others just PALE in comparison.

"Black Coffee" is another torch song in the same vein as "I Wish I Didn't.." that was made famous by Peggy Lee, but here Lang's version stumbles a bit compared to Lee's. I would say it's the only one weak track on the entire CD. Actually I'm not too crazy about the "Country Trio" of Kitty Wells, Brenda Lee and Loretta Lynn either. Lang came close to matching "Shadowland" with "Ingenue", but that CD was really a downer in my opinion. Lang really sounds bogged down by the material on that one. She never quite captured the vocal magic in her subsequent releases after "Ingenue", which perhaps brought her greater fame (mostly b/c of "Constant Craving"), but in my opinion "Shadowlands" stands as her crowning achievement."